Tracklist:     
01 - Pleasant Screams/Forbidden Crypts
02 - Maggot Hatchery
03 - Sewer Chewer
04 - Ghoul Hunter
05 - Numbskull
06 - Boneless
07 - Maniaxe
08 - Mechanized Death
09 - The End?
10 - What A Wonderful World

Bandmembers:    
Digestor - Lead vocals, guitar
Dissector - Guitar, vocals
Cremator - Bass, vocals
Fermentor - Drums, vocals

Websites:     www.razorbackrecords.com/ghoul.htm

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Ghoul - Maniaxe
Razorback Records 2003

From out of the graveyard comes Ghoul. An extremely intriguing, highly entertaining mix of thrash/death/gore metal. This is their second full length album, their first as a foursome. (They added Dissector to the mayhem, and he has provided some fucking awesome riffs) I'll be honest with you folks. I don't know a whole hell of a lot about these guys. I've looked everywhere I could think to look for info about them... Where they're from, their real names.. pictures.. nothing. They have a gimmick going, which, to their credit, they've done a very job of keeping up. Their "biography" claims that they're hideously ugly cannibals, living in catacombs and sewers, and as secretive as they are, you can almost believe them.... I do know one thing about them though, and that is that they fucking kick ass. They definitely sound similar to bands like Carcass and Exhumed, but they're not at all a rip off of either one.
The lyrics to their songs read like an extremely interesting horror story. Introducing new characters to the listener as they go along. And though they're definitely gorey, you can tell that these guys are doing this all for fun. Unlike a lot of today's gore bands, who throw tons of medical terms at you and sing about raping corpses every chance they get, Ghoul keep it simple and down right fun. Maintaining a sense of humor about the whole thing, which makes it that much more addictive. The guitar work is awesome. Most of the rhythm parts are played faster than a lot of bands can play a solo. Speaking of solo's, there are tons of them for your ears to feast on. Ghoul are heavily influenced by old school thrash bands like Anthrax and the almighty Megadeth, and it certainly shows in their style.

 The first track "Pleasant Screams/Forbidden Crypts" starts out with an eerie, old horror movie sounding intro. Then dives right into the madness. The lyrics to this song are an obvious swipe at black metal bands, and their leather wearing, painted face image. I, myself, am a fan of black metal, but holy shit, these lyrics are just hilarious. I suggest you visit their site and read them for yourself. Track 2 is where the story really begins to unfold, and characters are introduced. Including the Swamp Hag, the Ghoul Hunter, and new guitar player, Dissector. Again, go to the site and read for yourself if you wanna know more. The guitars simply shred throughout basically the whole album. The one exception being the song "The End?" Which sounds like they mixed the soundtrack from an old beach movie, and once again, an old horror movie, into one. Still a cool little tune though. And the final track is a remake of the classic song "What A Wonderful World". I love this one... Of course they put their own spin on most of the lyrics, but to hear the words "and I think to myself, what a wonderful world" being done with a death metal growl, just gives me the chills. The whole album clocks in at just under 35 minutes long, so it definitely leaves you wanting more. Solution? Crank that shit again man. You can't help but be addicted to it. And if you like this album, you'll definitely wanna get a copy of their first album "We Came For The Dead".

So what do we have here ladies and gentlemen? Well, we have a Grade A, must have for your CD collection. It's just so well put together. And what makes it all the more interesting is that they utilize 3 different vocal styles: A higher pitched growl, a mid-pitched growl, and a straight from the basement of hell low-pitched growl. Each one is executed perfectly, as are the guitar riffs and the drums. And the production quality is great. Delicious fucking ear candy for hungry metal heads. Add it to your arsenal ASAP.

90/100

Justin